Woman was allegedly under influence of opioids during crash that injured child in Fairmont

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — A woman who was charged in a DUI crash involving a 7-year-old allegedly smoked a cigarette immediately following the wreck instead of checking on the child.

On April 27, officers with the Fairmont Police Department were dispatched to Mary Lou Retton Drive for a single-vehicle accident where a Chevy Trailblazer had “ran off the road and then struck a tree and parked vehicle,” injuring two people, according to a criminal complaint.

When officers arrived, they made contact with the vehicle’s driver, Amanda Craig, 43, of Monongah, who “appeared disoriented, was unsteady on her feet and was slurring her words,” the complaint said.

Craig claimed that “after leaving the Fairmont Field House, [she] saw ‘something’ white dart into the road, swerved to avoid it and ultimately ran off the road,” officers said.

A child who was in the vehicle had “injuries to her chest that included skin being removed due to the friction of the seatbelt and bruises,” according to the complaint.

Officers noted in the criminal complaint that there were no “skid marks on the road that would indicate Craig used her brakes,” and a witness told officers that Craig “did not check on [the] child, and instead lit a cigarette” after the collision occurred. That witness had to remove the child from the vehicle and check her for injuries, officers said.

Officers also learned that Craig’s driver’s license was suspended “with an indefinite duration,” and during a field sobriety test, Craig “showed indicators of impairment,” and she told officers “she would consume opiate pills” and “had consumed opiate pills approximately 3 weeks ago, but denied taking any on this date,” according to the complaint.

A detective found that Craig was under the influence of opioids and “was not safe to operate a motor vehicle,” the complaint said.

Craig has been charged with gross child neglect creating risk of injury. She is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $10,012 bond.

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